Montasio is a pasture-terraced mountain located to the northeast of Venice in the Friuli-Venezia region of Italy. The cheese Montasio was originally made by the monks who occupied the monastery that owned those pastures in the thirteenth century. Today, the cheese is a DOC cheese, which means its properties and production are protected by law. Montasio can now be made legally in all of Friuli-Venezia Giulia and parts of Veneto. Made in large wheels, the flavor of this cheese is nutty, and slightly fruity. Since the mountain milk from which Montasio is made is high in butterfat, the cheese has a richer flavor with hints of butterscotch.